Quick off the dribble on hard court news

Bulls 2011-2012 Schedule Features 48 Nationally-Televised Games

Receive the latest sports updates in your inbox

MIAMI, FL - MAY 24: (L-R) Joakim Noah #13, Ronnie Brewer #11, Carlos Boozer #5, Derrick Rose #1 and Luol Deng #9 of the Chicago Bulls look on against the Miami Heat in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs on May 24, 2011 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The Heat won 101-93 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bulls television schedule, released Thursday, features a nationally-televised regular season opener against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on TNT.

The schedule reveals that the Bulls will make 48 total national TV appearances, assuming the current NBA lockout does not continue into the preseason and regular season.

PHOTOS: Derrick Rose's Amazing Season

Comcast SportsNet and WGN-TV/WCIU will oversee all of the local televised duties. All 82 games will be televised locally, including their seven preseason games.

The Bulls' 48 nationally televised appearances are the most since the 1997-98 season.

Comcast SportsNet will televise 42 regular season games, with three of those games to be televised on Comcast SportsNet Plus. CSN will also broadcast four of Chicago's seven preseason games.

WGN-TV will broadcast 23 games, with 20 of those games set to air nationally on WGN-America. WCIU-TV will take on the rest of the Bulls' broadcast schedule with eight regular season games and one preseason match-up. The call for all locally telecast will still feature play-by-play man Neil Funk and color commentator Stacey King.

The Bulls will begin the regular season on Nov. 1 on TNT against the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks. Their home opener will take place Nov. 5 against the Atlanta Hawks and will be aired on WGN-America.

Apart from Chicago's 20 nationally televised appearances on WGN-America, the Bulls will also appear on TNT nine times, ESPN nine times, NBA-TV six times and ABC five times.